Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Interviews
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AT: Mask of the Betrayer introduced a cool gameplay element (balancing dark powers and so forth). In terms of gameplay, what's the biggest innovation in SoZ?
KS: Mask of the Betrayer colored within the lines set by Neverwinter Nights 2. Storm of Zehir does not. The Overland Map is one of the game's most defining features. It provides a sense of exploration that makes it feel more like a Fallout game than a Neverwinter Nights game. The Overland Map also makes Skills (Survival, Spot, etc.) more important and useful.
When within the specific locales of the game, they feel like other Neverwinter Nights areas, though. Quests, loot, puzzles, characters - all of the same elements are present.
Note that the Overland Map features will also be adaptable by the community for their own worlds and adventures.
And a snip from Strategy Informer's Q&A:
Strategy Informer: How will the new D&D 4th edition rules work into Storm of Zehir? Wizards of the Coast maintains that the 4th edition is easier to pick up, play, and learn. Will Storm of Zehir welcome newcomers as much as entertain loyalists?
Kevin Saunders: In terms of game rules, Storm of Zehir is strictly a 3.5 Edition D&D game. We would love to create a 4th Edition D&D game, but that's simply a bigger undertaking than an expansion can tackle. That said, you will find 4th Edition story tie-ins in SoZ. Besides just changing the rules, Wizards of the Coast also altered the Forgotten Realms setting with 4th Edition. Storm of Zehir takes place before the Spellplague and has some foreshadowing of the events that lead to 4th Edition.
